Trans on the agenda of the Ministry of Women harms women

The Ministry of Women has adopted an “inclusive” definition of women, pointed out by feminist NGOs as detrimental to gender achievements in recent years.

The examples are many.

Minister Cida Gonçalves is one of the signatories of a decree that treats women as “people who menstruate”. Published in the Official Gazette in June, the measure deals with the free supply of sanitary pads. The word “women” does not appear in the text because, in the federal government’s view, other human beings can menstruate.

The government also uses the term in a primer on menstruation, released in September.

In January, Cida Gonçalves received representatives from Antra (National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals), an organization that fights to erase the biological criteria for distinction between men and women. The minister made herself available to act in defense of the category. “The ministry is ‘for women’ because they are diverse and plural. And he is available and will be a partner in implementing public policies for trans and transvestite people and in combating prejudice”, stated Cida Gonçalves.

At the same time, the government canceled — without explanation — a visit by the UN rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem. The rapporteur, who has a critical view of the equation of “trans women” with biological women, lamented canceling the visit.

What is a woman?

Faced with signs that the Ministry of Women has given up on the traditional definition of what a woman is, Matria (Association of Women, Mothers and Workers of Brazil) sent a formal request to the Ministry of Women in January asking the department to define it in a clear what you mean by woman. The organization made use of the Access to Information Law.

But, so far, he has not received an objective response from the ministry. “This Ministry is committed to formulating public policies that target all women, considered in their diversity,” the ministry wrote. Matria filed an appeal and is still awaiting a final position.

One of Matria’s representatives, Maiara da Silveira, believes that the ministry is trying to avoid confrontations with more radical groups on the left. “I think they want to maintain ambiguity so as not to create confrontations. If they define women by sex, they lose the entire identity left,” she says.

The consequences of the government’s ambiguous stance on the issue go beyond a semantic debate. If the expression “woman” no longer has an objective meaning, a body created to serve women no longer has an objective area of ​​activity. From biological indistinction, it is possible to foresee government support for trans people sharing cells with women in prisons, for trans athletes competing in female categories and for the inclusion of trans people in policies to support women.

Statistics on domestic violence are also affected, as almost all cases involve men attacking women. Now, the confusion of terms may end up mitigating the severity of the problem.

“We, from the maternal movements, observe that essential issues for the lives of women mothers are being made invisible and even belittled”, complains Sibele Lemos, from the Voz Materna Child Protection Collective.

Spokesperson for the Full Childhood Movement, Celina Lazzari agrees: “Removing the ability of women to describe themselves as a group is an act of male oppression. This is a very serious consequence. It’s misogyny.”

The report from People’s Gazette contacted the Ministry of Women, but did not receive a response until the conclusion of this report.